The Variety Show is Victorious

Logan Burnett

On Friday, March 11, 2016 Bel Air High School held its first ever Variety Show, a chance for students to showcase their talents in front of a large audience. Sponsored by the National Honors Society, helmed by Mrs. Blackburn, they sold over 400 tickets and raised much more than expected, with all the proceeds going to the American Cancer Society. The auditorium was packed with students, parents, and teachers, all excited to see friends and family perform.

The show was hosted by Sydney Andrus, Jack Ausmus, Joy Hayward, Calvin Hurlock and Alison Pullen, portraying celebrities and getting laughs from the audience. Starting off Act One was Yasmine Saikali who played “Sweet Memories” on the piano. She did beautifully; it was a very calming piece and subtle intro to the show. Following that was “Run the World” by the Dancing Bobcats, a dance group consisting of Praise Flowers who was an incredible lead, Aleah Bacetti and Ron Johnson, both of whom nailed their dance in front of the stage, accompanying were Audre Arnett, Michaela Bibb, Moe Bloomfield, Lucy Cheriscat, Hayat Jabbour and Malia Smith. Lots of shouting and praise came from the audience during their routine.

Up next was Kyle Chan, whose talented skill with the Chinese Yo-Yo awed the crowd, moving so quickly, it was like an illusion. He slipped once but had a great recovery and support from the crowd. Following that was Chris Love, who sang and played his guitar to “St. Patrick’s Day”. Chris was very humble for such talent; his voice and playing were fantastic. The last group for Act One was the band Canvas who played an original song, “Now.” The song had a great beat, but the instruments outweighed the voice of lead singer Nick Leasure. The highlight of the song was the saxophone.

Following act one was a brief intermission during which concessions were sold with all proceeds going to the ACS. After this was Act Two, starting with the band The Average, including lead singer and guitarist Hector Belarmino, Andrew Kowalewski on the bass, and Riley Young on drums. They played an original “Beyond Good and Evil” and had an amazing on-stage presence. They also played “Aliens Exist” and did great rocking out. Following that was Hayat Jabbour, playing “Pupils Concerto” on the violin. She was completely focused and played wonderfully. After that was Alex Folmer singing and playing his guitar with Riley Young on drums. He had a great voice and awesome skills on the electric guitar.

Following that was Brogan Gerhart who blended yoga and contemporary dance to create an absolutely beautiful act. She danced to “Gracie” by Ben Folds and stunned the audience. After that was Layla Wilson who played “The Minute Waltz” on the piano, fingers moving so quickly you could hardly see them. Ending Act Two was Daniel Meyers who incredibly sang “Creep.” His act had a lot of very strong emotion. Following Act Two was a brief encore in which the teach band, The Heighe Street Avengers played “Corduroy,” Come Together,” and “Plush.” They did an awesome job and received a lot of cheering.

A big thank you goes out to all the talented participants, stage crew, staff, and attendees, all of whom helped to raise a massive amount for the American Cancer Society. It can easily be said and agreed upon that the Variety Show was a massive success and hopefully it appears again next year.